Struck with a little white lightning, this revamped Manhattan is high proof that moonshine—especially cherry-infused, including a hooch-soaked maraschino cherry—can even make perfection a little more perfect.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces cherry-infused moonshine (instructions follow)
3/4 ounce dry or sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash simple syrup
1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice, or to taste
Lemon slice (for garnishing)
Regular or moonshine-infused maraschino cherries (for garnishing)
Directions
In a small Mason jar with ice cubes, add all of the ingredients, except the garnish, stirring to combine. Garnish with the lemon slice and cherries. Yields 1 cocktail.
Cherry-Infused Moonshine
Yields approximately 3 cups
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, washed, stemmed, and pitted, whole or halved, or maraschino cherries
3 cups unflavored moonshine
Directions
Using a 1-quart jar, add the cherries. Pour in the moonshine. Seal the jar with a lid. Let sit for 2 to 3 weeks, shaking once or twice a day. Shake the mixture. Either serve directly from the jar, leaving the cherries as is; or, using a sieve or coffee filter, strain the cherry-infused moonshine into a new 1-quart jar, and save the moonshine-infused cherries for garnishing. Serve immediately or cover and store in freezer for up to 1 month.
Excerpted from Moonshine: A Celebration of America's Original Rebel Spirit by John Schlimm. Copyright 2018 Citadel Press.
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